Elk Cloner is one of the first known microcomputer viruses that spread "in the wild," i. A virus (from the Latin virus meaning Toxin or Poison) is a sub-microscopic infectious agent that is unable A boot sector (sometimes called a bootblock) is a sector of a Hard disk, Floppy disk, or similar Data storage device that contains Mt Lebanon is a home rule Municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Mt Lebanon is a home rule Municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Richard "Rich" Skrenta (b1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a computer programmer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur A computer virus is a Computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user e. , outside the computer system or lab in which it was written. It was written around 1982 by a 15-year-old high school student named Rich Skrenta for Apple II systems. Richard "Rich" Skrenta (b1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a computer programmer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur

Infection and symptoms

Elk Cloner spread by infecting the Apple II operating system using a technique now known as a "boot sector" virus. An operating system (commonly abbreviated OS and O/S) is the software component of a Computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination A boot sector (sometimes called a bootblock) is a sector of a Hard disk, Floppy disk, or similar Data storage device that contains If a computer booted from an infected floppy disk, a copy of the virus was placed in the computer's memory. In Computing, booting ( booting up) is a bootstrapping process that starts Operating systems when the user turns on a Computer system A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased When an uninfected disk was inserted into the computer, Elk Cloner would be copied to the disk, thus allowing it to spread from disk to disk.

An infected computer would display a short poem on every 50th boot. Elk Cloner did not cause deliberate harm, but Apple DOS disks without a standard image had their reserved tracks overwritten. Apple DOS refers to Operating systems for the Apple II series of microcomputers from 1979 through early 1983 ^[1] The aforementioned poem follows:

Elk Cloner: The program with a personality

It will get on all your disks
It will infiltrate your chips
Yes it's Cloner!

It will stick to you like glue
It will modify RAM too

Send in the Cloner!

Development

Elk Cloner was created in 1982 by Rich Skrenta, a 15-year-old high school student. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Richard "Rich" Skrenta (b1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a computer programmer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Skrenta was already distrusted by his friends because, in illegally sharing computer games and software, he would often alter the floppy disks to shut down or display taunting on-screen messages. They became distrustful of him, so Skrenta thought of methods to alter floppy disks without physically touching them. During a winter break from the Mt. Lebanon High School in Pennsylvania, United States, Skrenta discovered how to launch the messages automatically on his Apple II computer. Mt Lebanon School District is the public school system for residents of Mt The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The United States of America —commonly referred to as the He developed what is now known as a boot sector virus, and began circulating it in early 1982 among high school friends and a local computer club. A boot sector (sometimes called a bootblock) is a sector of a Hard disk, Floppy disk, or similar Data storage device that contains Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) 25 years later in 2007, Skrenta called it "some dumb little practical joke. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "^[2][3][4]

Distribution

According to contemporary reports, the virus was rather contagious, successfully infecting the floppies of most people Skrenta knew (including his math teacher), and upsetting many of them (including said math teacher). Part of the "success," of course, was that people were not at all wary of the potential problem (virus infection could have been avoided by not inserting floppies into computers without hard-booting them first), nor were virus scanners or cleaners available. The virus could still be removed, but it required an elaborate manual effort.

References

1. ^ First virus hatched as a practical joke - Security - Technology - smh.com.au
2. ^ Machinist: Tech Blog, Tech News, Technology Articles - Salon
3. ^ A 20-year plague | CNET News.com
4. ^ A History of Viruses

External links

• http://www.skrenta.com/cloner
• History of malware
• The computer virus turns 25 (Salon. com)